Combined conveyor and excavator



H. D. JANSEN March 30, 1948.

COMBINED CONVEYOR AND EXCAVATOR Filed March 7, 1946 \NVENTOR u HERBERT D.JANS N 7 ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 30, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINED CONVEYOR AND EXCAVATOR Herbert D. Jansen, Shorewood, Wis.

Application March 7, 1946, Serial N 0. 652,648

3 Claims. 1

This invention appertains to excavators and conveyors, and more particularly to screw conveyors used to excavate, handle and convey earth, concrete, grain, or any other granular or pulverulent material from a lower to a higher level, or vice versa.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a combined excavator and conveyor having conveying elements of a continuous flexible nature, whereby to permit the conducting of material around bends and curves and to permit the expeditious use of the excavator and conveyor in confined quarters.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide a combined excavator and conveyor so constructed that one operating means can be effectively employed to motivate both the excavator and the conveyor elements.

A further object of my invention is to provide a flexible casing having rotatably mounted axially therein a flexible shaft having coupled to its forward end an excavating head and arranged around its length a spiral flexible flight or screw for conveying the material excavated by the head through the casing.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for constructing the spiral flight or screw conveyor and novel means for supporting and bracing the conveyor on the flexible shaft.

A further important object of my invention is to provide novel means for constructing the flexible shaft and the flexible flight or screw in sections to facilitate assembly and to provide novel means for connecting the sections of the flight together.

A still further object of my invention is to provide novelly arranged internal ribs for the flexible conveyor casing, said ribs functioning as rifling to facilitate the movement of material therethrough and to brace the casing.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a combined excavator and conveyor of the above character, which will be durable and efficient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture, and one which can be placed upon the market at a, reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my combined excavating and conveying device, parts of the View being shown broken away and insection to illustrate structural detail.

Figure 2 is a diametric sectional view through the flexible conveyor taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, the view illustrating more particu- 2 larly the novel means for bracing the conveyor flight from the flexible shaft. Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken through the flexible shaft substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the means employed for clamping the flight bracing means to the flexible shaft, and V Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail perspective view illustrating one preferred means for detachably connecting the adjacent ends of sections of the flight together,

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter C generally indicates my combined excavating and conveying machine, and the same includes a rigid supporting case 5 which can be secured, if so desired, on any type of elevated supporting structure. The casing 5 can be of a cylindrical nature and its forward end has coupled thereto, as at 6, a flexible cylindrical casing l. The rigid supporting casing 5 can be provided with a depending outlet neck 8. The casing can. also have secured thereto a drive motor 9, the purpose of which will be later set forth.

The flexible casing 1 can be of the same nature as the flexible pipes or tubing now found on the open market and the coupling 6 employed for connecting the casing I to the rigid casing 5, can also be of a type now found in the open market.

Extending axially through the flexible casing and the rigid casing 5 is a flexible drive shaft ID. This shaft It] can also be of any desired type now found in the open market, but preferably consists of layers of closely wound flexible or resilient wire. The shaft I0 is made in sections of a desired length and the sections are detachably connectedtogether by couplings H. The extreme forward end of the flexible shaft has detachably connected thereto, by a coupling :2, a cutting and excavating head I3. The head can be of a cone shape and provided with spiral cutting blades [4. As is clearly shown in Figure 1, this cutting head is arranged directly in advance of the flexible casing 7. The rear end Of the shaft is connected directly to the armature shaft of the motor 9 or reducing gearing can be interposed between the motor 9 and the flexible shaft, as may be desired.

Secured to the inner face of the casing 1, at spaced points, are resilient wires or rods l5, and these wires extend into the rigid casing 5 and are rigidly fastened to the inner surface thereof. These rods l5 constitute rifling for facilitating the movement of material through the casing and the rods also function to brace the casing I longitudinally.

One of the important features of my invention is the spiral flight or screw conveyor I 6 which is carried by the flexible shaft [0, and this conveyor is of a flexible nature so that the same will readily conform to the bending of the casing 1 and the flexible shaft 10. Theconveyor is composed ofa series of resilientor flexible:

rods l1 placed longitudinally against one another to form a blade or flight and the resultant struce a .ture is bent to form the spiral flight or screw conveyor.

To facilitate assembly, the flight-is made up, of a plurality of sections l8 and the ends of'the sections are bent outwardly to provide diverging flanges I9. The flanges [9 are coupled together by slide bars 2!], as is best shown in Figure 41 The slide bars are provided with inward-1y inclined side walls: M which receive flanges L9;

or screw conveyor on the shaft ill, I employ a series of bracing elements 22. These bracing elements 22 are formed from resilient wire and:

each include a central. U-shaped bight portion,

28" and oppositely extending coiled. sleeves- 24 The terminals of the sleeves endin outwardly extending arms-25 which engage the inner adjacent face of" the conveyor; The arms 25 c'anbe secured to the flight sections lfllif desired. Thus; the arms extend transversely across 'a flight and In order to connect and to brace the flight the'bracing' and connecting elements 22' areso 7 arranged that the bracing arm of! one element Willengage the'adjacent bracing arm of the next clement.

1 Twopart sectional clamps :zeare employed for connecting each bracing element to the flexible shaft and the sections of the clamping collars are-{securedaround theflexib'ie shaft by bolts: 21 which extend through ears '28: formed on the sections'of the collars. The sectional collars also. embrace and hold the bightportion 23lof aclampa ingelement 22 and the inner face of't'he' collar' can. be grooved as at" 29 to receive this bight portion.

In operation of my device, the cutting, head l3 will cut and break up the material-tube excavated and 'will'deposit the material on the forwarder initial screw flight and as the flight receives the material, the conveyor will advance and carry the material into the rigid casing 5'. The material will flow out of the neck or spout 8. The: cutting headl3 can be in thenature of'a drill; or cutter I of'the rotary plow'or reamer type. a

The rods or rifling i5iwillform a deterrent to the circumferential motion of the material to be conveyed; This will. increase the emciency of the screw in achieving an upward movement of'thematerial.

Obviouslmmy device can bile trucks and. if the. device: ismounted on; a:

truck, the same can1be driven. from the power plantof the truck;

7 be used. as a loading or unloading devioefor freight cars or. automoa for uniting the sections together;

vention, but what I claim as new is:

1. A combinedexcavator and conveyor com- "prising a flexible casing, a flexible shaft arranged axially in the casing for rotation, means for rotating the shaft, an excavating head secured to the. forward" end of the shaft for rotation therewith and a spiral flight carried by the shaft for rotation therewith arranged in said conveyor, said flight including a plurality of resilient wires, and said flight being formed in sections, the terminals of the-sections beingprovi'ded with flanges and slide clamps detachablyffltted over said flanges 2. A combinedexca'vator and axially in thecasing for rotation, means for totating" the shaft, a cutter and excavating headi secured tothe rorward end of the shaitfor-rotw tion therewith and a spiral screw conveyor on said shaft arrangedwithin the casing, means for connecting the conveyor to the shaft and for bracing theflights thereof, including bracing'and clamping elements, each having a central substantially' U-shaped bight portion and outwardly extending coil sleeves, sectional clamps for connecting the bight portions to the flexible shaft and outwardly extending arms on the terminals of: the coil sleeves. engaging the conveyor at spaced points. I 7

3. A combined excavator and conveyor, comprising a flexible casing, a flexible shaft axially disposed in the casing, an excavating head se- I cured to the forward-end of the shaft for rotation therewith, a spiral conveyor secured to-the shaft and brace bars secured to the inner face of the flexible casing extending longitudinally thereof and cooperating with the conveyor 'to facilitat movement of material through the casing,

HERBERT D; JANsEN;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 a Date 820,829 Stauch, May 15,1906 2,045,757. Constantin June 30, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS:

Number Country Date.

Germany .Sept. 8, 1917 without deconveyor com? prising a flexible casing, a flexible shaft'disposedi 

